The cost of schooling in some private schools in the country is becoming exorbitant. Hence, parents are removing pupils from private schools to public institutions. However, school owners on the other hand are beginning to question the possibility of their schools’ continuity, considering the fact that inflation is not balancing income, expenses and profit. In Lagos State alone, some schools have closed down over withdrawal of pupils and inability to attract new ones. BOLA OLAJUWON, ASSISTANT EDITOR, VICTORIA AMADI and JOY ANYANWU report.
Though it is still two months to schools’ resumption, many parents are already embarking on belt-tightening moves over fees to pay for their returning children in private and public schools. It is also time to consider the fees to pay for children transiting from primary to secondary and the choice to make among many alternatives. The children are now at home consuming foods available amidst lean budget.
In Lagos, especially, parents spend varied sums to educate their children. A parent told The Nation that he spends N2. 4 million per year to educate his son in a private secondary school.
“I pay N800,000 each term on my son’s school fees. I pay N2. 4 million per year. In September, I don’t know what to expect,” the parent, who pleaded anonymity, said.
Some secondary schools, it was learnt, billed parents about N1 million or higher for each term aside the usual increment in feeding and other fees. They also resorted to hidden charges like science laboratory, computer and extra lessons fees.
Parents resort to public schools
Parents in Lagos State are removing their children from private schools to public schools owing to quality of teachers recruited and infrastructure being provided. Hundreds of teachers have been orientated and deployed by the Lagos Teaching Service Commission (TESCOM). New classes are being inaugurated and others are being renovated. Other states are not left out.
A parent, Mr. Sola Johnson, who has decided to move his children to public school, explained that his blood pressure rises when his children bring notices of any form from their schools.
“If it is not only notification of increase in school fees, it’s about bus fares or development levies. We used to see private schools as an alternative to the overburdened public education system. But with the inflationary trends, I know the private school proprietors are not immune to the economic challenges facing the country and they are often left with no choice but to increase school fees and pass them to parents.
“While this may be a necessary measure to ensure high standards in the schools, it further worsens the financial burden on we parents,” Johnson said.
Another parent, Mrs. Chinasa John, explained: “I’m considering withdrawing my children from private secondary schools. I have nobody to look up to, except God. The steep increase in fees is becoming unbearable for me. I have other things to take care of and I cannot devote so much money on school fees alone.’’
Schools’ dilemma over fees increment and operational charges
Private schools’ proprietors are now worried over vacant classes with many teachers to pay. In Lagos alone, a few private schools have closed down over inability to spread their expenses on available pupils. Few weeks after vacation, schools with basic and secondary school sections are directing their teachers and workers to visit parents at their residences to personally distribute admission letters to their children. They want to retain the pupils by all means. To increase fees in schools currently is a difficult decision to take for many proprietors after watching many other schools closing down.
A proprietor, who craved anonymity, said about six schools in Agidingbi area of Ikeja have shut down over 26 charges levied on schools across Lagos and Ogun states, where they operated.
“Go to schools in Lagos, you will confirm that we pay about N500,000 to N1 million for school licence renewal annually. We pay for setback and parking spaces, environmental fees like vehicle baskets. We also pay for hackney permit, signage, radio and televisions fees. The charges are about 26 in all.
“When you have few pupils to spread the fees on, you close down in the face of high operational costs and salaries to pay,” the chairman of the group of schools said.
A proprietor and co-founder of a highbrow school in Lagos, at an event marking the school’s 10 years anniversary, spoke on how he is managing to make the school stay afloat owing to the respect he has for his late wife, who died about 10 years ago. She had pleaded with The husband on her hospital bed to convert a multi-storey residential building they owned to school to develop future leaders.
He asserted that he continued to spend money earned from his vast businesses to sustain the school. According to him, he must continue to sustain the memory of his late wife.
The National President, National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS) Nigeria, Chief Yomi Otubela, claimed the association does not have authority over fees’ regulation.
Also, the Director of Platform Schools, Dr. Adebola Obe, reiterated that the announcement of a school fee increase in Nigerian primary and secondary schools is a development that affects parents, students and educators alike. He noted that as schools strive to maintain quality education amidst rising operational costs, fee adjustments become a necessary consideration, impacting how families budget for education.
According to Obe, rising operational costs for schools include maintaining infrastructure, updating curricula to meet contemporary needs, and ensuring that teaching staff are equipped with the best resources to provide top-notch education. He also noted that economic realities such as inflation also plays a role in schools’ decisions to adjust fees.
According to the proprietor of Genius Academy, Ikorodu, Mr. Desmond Aiyeleso, there is no intention to increase school fees at the moment. However, he pleaded with parents to understand the condition of the economy.
Pupils weigh in
A secondary school pupil, Miss Mary Alewu, said schools should channel funds on improving services rendered to pupil, provide adequate facilities that would provide standard education to the students and try and justify the increase of the school fees, rather than incessant tuition increment without anything to show for it.
Comparing 2023 and 2025 tuition fee, a pupil of Archdeacon Memorial Grammar School, Kenneth Daniel, said charges are becoming unbearable for parents to come up with. He blamed the government for the current inflation in the country, adding that children whose parents could not meet up, might end up not giving their children the standard of education they deserve.
Daniel also stated that some of these schools who charge exorbitantly, have nothing to show for it, but only channel it to unnecessary things that do not add up to the standard of education.
“Since 2025, the feeding in school and other expenses are calculated beyond the parents’ budget. Although this is affected by the inflation in the country, it is the fault of the government. This is telling on the children. It will make them not have the best of education due to the increase in school fees.
“Some schools misuse these fees. They channel it into unnecessary activities that will not add up to the standard of education.
“Parents are not finding it funny and are lamenting seriously. I would appeal to the government and schools to provide easy avenues to support parents in the areas of school fees and provide adequate value necessary for them, especially for orphans and those struggling to survive,” he said.
Lagos Education Ministry: we are living up to our mandate
The Director, Public Affairs, Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, Mr. Kayode Sutton, said education is a social responsibility and the Lagos State Government is living up to that mandate.
In an interview with The Nation on why parents are moving their children to public schools, Sutton said: “We have a mandate that no child should be left behind, irrespective of their social background or culture or whatever. So, most of our public schools as we speak are conveniently being upgraded.
“We are building more schools. In the last few months, we have constructed about 17 more schools in Lagos in areas where they are mostly needed. And we have marked areas that need more schools.
“And I can tell you for free that we are also recruiting qualified teachers. And the whole future is being looked into by the Lagos State Government. And of course, the teachers get promoted promptly too. And just recently we inducted 1,500 of them.
“And of course, there is still approval for replacement of those that are retiring. So, instead of returning their money back to the government, we employ more teachers. Now we have more qualified teachers in schools. If you are not a trained teacher in public secondary schools in Lagos State, you cannot be employed.
“The idea of employing just anybody is gone in Lagos State. If you are not a trained teacher, you cannot be a teacher in any of our public schools. Even in our primary schools, that’s just the way it is.
“When all of these things are put together, the newly established schools and the old ones that are being renovated, you see things evolving. You see classrooms that have been fitting. You see laboratories that are well-equipped. You see environments that are conducive for learning. “
On payment of fees in Lagos State public schools, he said: “I can tell you for free that we don’t collect money. In Lagos State, parents are not expected to pay in any form.
“The government does not collect anything in any form from students in schools. If you have any cases of such, you may just bring it up and let us know where and which school and which person in particular has done that.”
